This week marks the start of an official partnership between the national governing body of wheelchair football, The Wheelchair Football Association, and disability access and inclusion charity, Level Playing Field.
The announcement was made via a short video clip on social media on Wednesday morning, as part of Level Playing Field’s ‘Weeks of Action’ campaign. The video clip was an excerpt from a longer interview video between Level Playing Field’s Nicky Baker and the WFA’s Adam McEvoy, which you can watch here.
Exciting new announcement from Level Playing Field and @The_WFA…
Watch this short clip to find out more, or you can watch the full interview video here: https://t.co/CLr0V1aLLM#AccessForAll pic.twitter.com/xC2FVZmX4j
— Level Playing Field (@lpftweets) March 3, 2021
Both organisations exist to improve access to sport for disabled people. The focus for the Wheelchair Football Association is to promote and develop their sport so that more disabled people are able to actively participate in playing wheelchair football. Level Playing Field exists to promote and facilitate improved access to stadiums, so that more disabled sports fans are able to watch their favourite team play live. Whether watching or playing, both organisations are passionate about seeing disabled people become more included in society.
Having worked together on a couple of projects in the past, the two organisations decided that an official partnership would be the best way to work more closely together in future and also help to highlight the good work that each other are involved in.
Regarding the partnership, Level Playing Field Chair, Tony Taylor, said: “Level Playing Field is very excited to be partnering with the Wheelchair Football Association to bring about better access to sport for disabled people. The importance of sport – whether attending as a spectator or participating as a player – should not be underestimated, and both organisations work hard to make it as inclusive and accessible as possible. The new partnership will facilitate this work and make it easier for us to support one another moving forward in a mutually beneficial way.
We look forward to working together on future events, surveys and campaigns, including Level Playing Field’s Weeks of Action campaign, which started on Saturday and runs until Sunday 14th March. It’s vital to have the support of partner organisations like the Wheelchair Football Association to really shine a spotlight on disability access, and the need for ongoing improvements.”
Regarding the partnership, The Wheelchair Football Association’s Chairperson, Brian Dix said: “The Wheelchair Football Association (WFA) are delighted to partner with Level Playing Field (LPF), bringing access and inclusion to participatory and spectator sports together. We strive to ensure a level playing field for any/all individuals with a disability to participate in sport, something that LPF dedicates their work to achieve in the world of spectator sports.
The WFA are committed to helping LPF ensure absolute #AccessForAll in sports stadiums. This exciting partnership will see the two organisations work closely on future events, campaigns and surveys. We’re incredibly proud and excited with the prospect of working closely to ensure there are no barriers in either playing or attending live sporting events.
We are already amazed by all of the positive publicity achieved through Level Playing Field’s 2021 Weeks of Action.”
If you would like to know more about Level Playing Field’s Weeks of Action campaign and how you can participate, please email info@levelplayingfield.org.uk or if you’re a WFA member then you can find out more information here.
